Janitorial Service, Union Sign Contract
A janitorial contractor and the union representing aerospace janitors in L.A. County agreed to a three-year contract, ending a strike that had entered its fourth week. The agreement, struck Tuesday afternoon, came several days after the union had signed a contract with two other janitorial services targeted by the strike, the Daily Breeze reported. The janitors were striking to demand better wages and benefits for their work at Boeing, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman facilities in El Segundo, Redondo Beach, Long Beach and other parts of L.A. County. All three janitorial services agreed to an 85-cent hourly raise over three years, with fully paid individual health insurance at the start of the third year.
Unocal to Visit Investors
Executives from Chevron Corp. and Unocal Corp. will begin visiting Unocal’s largest shareholders today to win their backing for Chevron’s takeover bid despite lingering hopes that a higher offer might come from China’s CNOOC Ltd. El Segundo-based Unocal has agreed to be purchased by Chevron in a stock and cash deal worth $17.3 billion Wednesday, or $63.65 a share, and the company’s shareholders will vote on that proposal Aug. 10. More than half of Unocal shares must vote in favor of the offer from Chevron for the purchase to become final. The proposed transaction has already been approved by regulators.
L.A. School Board Postpones Vote on $4 Billion Bond
The Los Angeles school board postponed voting on a nearly $4 billion school facilities bond package Wednesday because two trustees walked out of the meeting before roll was called. Board members Julie Kornstein and Jose Huizar left following a debate on how much of the bond should go to fund charter schools, a contentious issue in a district that is losing thousands of students a year to the independent campuses, the Daily Breeze reported Among many tweaks to Superintendent Roy Romer’s proposed bond package: a split 4-3 board had just approved $70 million of the new bond funds for charters.
Inland Hospitals Rank Low
Hospitals serving the Inland Empire overall ranked worst in the country last year in their treatment of patients with heart attacks and pneumonia, according to a new study. A team of Boston researchers found that the 21 hospitals covering most of San Bernardino and Riverside counties were least likely to meet national medical standards proven to increase patients’ chances of survival, the Los Angeles Times reported. The research, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, also looked at patients with congestive heart failure, finding that care provided by the Inland Empire market ranked 34th among the 40 largest hospital markets in the nation.
Home Size Limits OK’d
The City Council gave preliminary approval Wednesday to an “anti-mansionization” ordinance for the Sunland-Tujunga area of the San Fernando Valley, the first time it has addressed restricting home size in Los Angeles. The ordinance, scheduled for a final vote Tuesday, would limit homes built on lots of 8,000 square feet or less to 2,400 square feet, or 40 percent of the lot size. That means many of the 4,000-square-foot lots in the neighborhoods just below the Angeles National Forest would be limited to traditional bungalows and ranch-style homes. Councilwoman Wendy Greuel said the ordinance modernizes existing codes and balances private property rights with quality-of-life issues, the Daily News of Los Angeles reported.
